Time to Plant the Garlic

Hi everyone!

It's October... the leaves are turning and falling, and that means many things - like winter squash, kale, and brussels sprouts!

It also means it's time to plant some garlic.

If you've been wanting to get your hands dirty, but missed the growing season, or want a project to do out in your yard, you can plant a garlic crop for next summer in less than 5 minutes!

Just take a head of garlic and break off the garlic cloves. Plant each clove point-side up about 2 inches below the surface. No need to peel the cloves. That's it!

Next summer each clove will turn into a head of garlic! Isn't that just amazing? Nature rules.

Courgette/Zucchini Blossoms & Brie

Quick appetizer while the rest of dinner (featuring wild boar and apple sausages and whole roasted carrots from the farmer's market) was cooking:

Male zucchini blossoms (a.k.a. courgette blossoms) stuffed with a bit of brie, dunked into a simple batter of flour, water, salt and pepper and fried in butter.

I know I've featured stuffed zucchini blossoms on Eat More Butter before, but I had never made these with brie before and let me tell you 6 blossoms were not enough!! They were a great start to what was a fabulous meal....

Today's English Breakfast

Fried free range egg with farm fresh organic Cambridgeshire mixed greens and tomatoes, homemade croutons, streaky bacon and Northumbrian sage.

Was sort of meant to be a British Frissee aux lardons but cooking without my pans from home caused some hesitation, and therefore the eggs were fried instead of poached. Was delicious all the same! Shortly after taking this shot, the egg was moved on top of the salad, then punctured, and the yolk ran all over the greens. Was gorgeous!

Eat More Iberico Ham

Greetings from London! I'm here for a month, intent on tasting, trying and enjoying all the food London (and beyond) has to offer. I got here last Thursday and knew that on Friday, rain or shine, I would make it to Borough Market - an unbelievable fantasy-land of all things delicious and tasty. It was a shame I had eaten just before, because there was so much to taste and try, and a chorizo sandwich that was taunting me the whole time. I settled on trying samples of cheese and sausage and mushroom pate and even bought a single oyster that I topped with lemon juice and took down right there. I had to get a little treat, so I wandered into Brindisa, purveyor of Spanish delicacies, and walked up to two guys and 4 pigs legs.

"Oh, I think I've heard of this ham! Can you tell me about it?"

And tell me about it they did. I even sampled slices of ham from each leg... each one I tried was higher in price than the one before it. The ham is fatty almost like smoked salmon, and it's not as salty as prosciutto... and it's wonderful. The pigs feed on acorns and are treated like royalty, plenty of time outside and a luxurious shelter for bad weather.

Gorgeous, isn't it? Today it made for a great snack put on top of Pan con Tomate: toasted bread rubbed with garlic and tomatoes smashed into it. Ah, London! Can't wait to taste some more...

Hot Dogs & Fireworks

Yesterday was a wonderful holiday for those of us in Hoboken. We had a spectacular view of the fireworks over the Hudson River, a rarity as they are usually over the East River... and we also had one of those perfect, clear, summer nights which was a rarity of its own as we've had very rainy weather this last month.

Although laying down in the grass and watching fireworks in my city with my family and friends was unquestionably awesome, I must say the meal we enjoyed beforehand is certainly deserving of praise.

The Menu:

Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs from Hendricks Farm
Homemade Hot Dog Buns (recipe from Gourmet)
Homemade Zucchini Pickles (recipe from Zuni Cafe, via The Wednesday Chef)
Potato Salad with Brewmaster Mustard and Bacon (made by Eat More Butter's own Jamie Paxton)
Chopped Romaine Salad with a Balsamic/Fresh Oregano/Garlic Scape Dressing
---
Peach & Blueberry Buckle (adapted from Gourmet)
Brownies (Mark Bittman's recipe, made by Jamie)
Apple Cider Donuts (from the Greenmarket)

Does it get more American that this? Probably... if everything was processed and loaded with chemicals, and bought pre-made at a big grocery store.

We as a people have gotten so disconnected from where our food comes from, and this last year has been such an awakening for me thanks to the good work that people like Michael Pollan, Nina Planck, Trent Hendricks and Rich Sisti are doing. It's not enough to eat organic or eat locally... it's about eating responsibly and intelligently. It goes without saying that it's a pleasure to cook for friends and family, especially those who appreciate good food. But when we can sit around a table and know exactly where all our food is sourced from... it's an extra special meal and something we can all celebrate.

All Eyes On Chopped Salad!

Those owls on my apron know what's up and they are especially excited: The CSA has started up for the season! I came home to my apartment today to find a glorious bag in my fridge (kindly delivered by Jamie) of organic vegetables grown for me at Catalpa Ridge Farm in Wantage, NJ by Farmer Rich Sisti. Could life be any better? It can. Inside the bag I found my all time favorite, green garlic, and texas sweet onions with their green tops, dill, rhubarb, lettuce and spinach.

The dill reminded me of a great chopped salad I had a couple of years ago at Philoxenia, a Greek restaurant in Astoria Queens, and so I recalled the taste of that great salad, and came up with the following: 

Chopped Salad with Dill, Onions, Feta and Lemon Dressing 

1 small Texas Sweet Onion (or 1 small yellow onion if you are not part of the CSA!)

a small handful of dill

lettuce

a good slice of feta

1/2 a lemon

olive oil

sea salt

pepper

Mandolin the onion into your salad bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and squeeze the lemon on top of the onion. Let sit while you wash, dry and chop your dill and lettuce. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl and toss until incorporated. Eat up! 

Would probably be great without the feta and with some pan fried halloumi cheese instead! Be sure to deglaze the pan with extra lemon juice if you go that route... mmmm... The dill keeps the dish light and refreshing and really stands up to the lemon and the cheese. It's a great start to the season!

My rediscovery of egg salad sandwiches!

Yesterday for lunch: egg salad on olive bread. 

Today for lunch: egg salad on olive bread with fresh hand-harvested baby arugula salad.

I have a feeling egg salad sandwiches will be a staple for me this summer, until I get sick of them. But what's to get sick of?? Ohh egg salad, I'm so sorry I've neglected your goodness for so long... 

Easiest Egg Salad

2 fresh farm eggs from pastured hens

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

a pinch of salt

cracked black pepper

First make hard-boiled eggs by putting them in cold water in saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. Drain off the hot water, and add cold water to the pot. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and mash them in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix until incorporated. Spoon onto olive bread and devour.